“Other years we 10% of our work before hand and 90% after the player was selected,” said the agent. “Now, it’s probably reversed. Teams will have to be more creative.”

Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish has $8,830,800 to spend on his first 14 picks under the new Basic Agreement, which include the 17th over-all pick ($2 million set slot), 22nd ($1.8 million), 50th ($1 million), 58th ($884,100) and 60th ($857,200).

The agent said teams can pay more than slot but gave this example.

If say a club signs a player for $600,000 when slot was $1 million, then $400,000 can be spent on another player. However, if the player goes unsigned, the amount of cash to spend is lost.

College seniors may have leverage under the new plan.

With the start of the draft eight days away Baseball America has the Jays selecting outfielder David Dahl, a Birmingham, Ala. 17th and third baseman/right-hander Joey Gallo of Henderson, Nev. Both are high schoolers.

In other draft news one scouting director reports “every time we discuss a Canadian player, we ask ‘who else is in on him?’ the answer is always the same -- the Blue Jays.”

May 20: Pat Borders singled home Kelly Gruber, who reached with one-out in the 10th, in a 8-7 win over the Twins as Derek Bell, John Olerud, Joe Carter and Gruber homered.

May 22: Manuel Lee, Devon White, Robbie Alomar and Gruber all homered off Jack McDowell in a 6-2 win over the White Sox, as Juan Guzman moved to 6-0 with eight innings.

May 23: Dave Winfield and Candy Maldonado went deep but that was all the Jays could muster in a 5-2 loss to the White Sox.

May 24: Jack Morris allowed six runs in 2 2/3 innings in an 8-1 loss to Chicago as White and Gruber had two hits.

May 26: Pat Borders, Gruber and Carter homered against Ricky Bones to make a winner of Dave Stieb, who pitched seven innings in a 5-4 win over the Brewers.

20 Years ago this week

The Jays awoke May 27 in first place with a 28-18 record, tied with the Orioles.

Toronto second baseman Maxx Tissenbaum had three hits and two RBIs as the Stony Brook Sea Wolves beat the Maine Black Bears 13-6 to win America East tourney. Tissenbaum, a graduate of the Toronto Mets, made the all tourney team.

The win guarantees Stonuy Brook a berth in the 64-team NCAA tournament, which will be finalized on Monday.

Kitchener right fielder Tanner Nivins had three hits for Stony Brook while shortstop Cole Peragine of Belle Ewart, Ont. had an RBI single.

In the semi-final Tissenbaum was 3-for-5, with a double and two RBIs in a 14-6 win over Maine. Peragine singled in a run and Nivins singled.